


Regarding 'Jack Callaghan'

by pikablob



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Everybody Lives, F/F, Families of Choice, Gen, Jack takes after Arthur, Letters, M/M, POV Outsider, Post-Canon, They all stay in Valentine, Unconventional Families, World War I
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2021-01-29 15:04:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21412147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pikablob/pseuds/pikablob
Summary: In the lull between battles on the Western Front, a young man sends a letter home detailing the unusal friend he has made; a mysterious young man from Valentine by the name of 'Jack Callaghan'.
Relationships: Jack Marston & Arthur Morgan, Jack Marston & John Marston, Jack Marston & Original Character(s), John Marston/Arthur Morgan, Sadie Adler/Abigail Roberts Marston
Comments: 6
Kudos: 42





	Regarding 'Jack Callaghan'

2nd June, 1918

Cantigny

France

Dear Ma and Pa,

It feels like so long since you waved me off at the station. I know you’re worried about me out here, and I won’t deny it’s dangerous, but I’m doing just fine. You might’ve seen it in the papers; we’ve just kicked the Hun out of the town of Cantigny, and I heard from some of the others that we halted them at the Aisne too. If we keep this up, I’ll be home before you know it.

I’ve never been good with new people, you know that, but I have managed to make a friend. He’s a few years older than me, a fellow named Jack. Gave his surname as ‘Callaghan’ the first time I asked, but he’s since admitted that ain’t quite true. He’s a real nice fellow, if a little strange; he always says good morning to everyone, even if he has to yell across a room (he says it’s a habit he picked up from his uncle), and he talks to the horses sometimes. But he knows his way around a bolt-rifle better than anyone else in the platoon, and he saved my life more than once when we were taking this place.

He’s from a little town called Valentine, up in the Heartlands of New Hanover. Get him talking about that place and he’ll never stop, I tell you. But he never talked about his family, not really. Friends sure, sometimes an aunt or an uncle, but never parents or siblings or anything. So I just assumed they weren’t around.

Until this morning, when I found him writing his own letter home and he finally offered to explain. It turns out his family’s around alright, but they’re mighty unconventional. He showed me two photos; one with his parents, and another with the whole family, Turns out his ma and pa realised a long time ago they didn’t love each other, but they could still stand each other’s company, so they’ve each gotten themselves new partners and all four of them live under one roof with Jack.

This is where things get real unusual. See, part of the reason his parents couldn’t get on like that is cause his ma realised she didn’t swing that way, and he claims his pa’s always known he swung both. So his ma’s close-as-married to his ‘Aunt’ Sadie, and his pa’s just the same with his ‘Uncle’ Arthur (the one who taught him to yell greeetings, apparently), and they’ve had this whole arrangement going on since Jack was just about five. He says they’re happy, and they don’t fight no more than a regular family, though I can’t say he’d even know what a regular family’s like.

His ma runs the house and works for the doctor, while the other three run bounties and enforcement for the local sherriff. They’re open about who they love, he says, and the folks in Valentine don’t take offence. Sounds almost too good to be true, but that’s how it is.

Then he’s got the rest of his not-quite relatives. There’s Aunt Tilly, a coloured woman, and Uncle Charles who’s half that and half Indian, and then there’s just Uncle. Apparently he never gave anyone his name; Jack claims he once got real drunk and declared it was ‘Harlow’, but he ain’t sure if he believes that. They’re all in that one house, down near the stables, and they all seem to get by just fine.

So that’s Jack, I guess. There’s a part of me thinks they must’ve been a gang or something once; there ain’t much that’ll bond that many disparate souls into a family. But who am I to say? I’ve never heard of a family like his before.

Anyway, I don’t know when I’ll next get the chance to write, so please give my love to everyone in town and tell little Sally her brother’s doing okay. I said I’d bring Jack round ours sometime, provided we both make it through, so hopefully soon you’ll get to meet him too.

Love,

Mark S.


End file.
